Dr. Mohamed Morsi, Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), received on Wednesday 21 March 2012, Seema Naqvi, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Egypt, at the party headquarters in Cairo.

Hailing the depth of bilateral relations between Egypt and Pakistan, Dr. Morsi welcomed the ambassador of that great and worthy country, stressing the importance of increasing cooperation between Egypt and Pakistan, so this – one of the largest Muslim countries in the world – could be Egypt’s gateway to the East through the exchange and transfer of different experiences, especially in the industrial, economic and trade fields, adding that Pakistan is a country with considerable expertise in the textile industry.

Regarding the role of women in Egypt, Dr. Morsi reiterated the FJP’s total conviction of the importance of the role of women in society, pointing that women represent a large proportion of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and that the FJP’s constituent assembly of founder-members comprises 1000 women out of a total 9000 members. Further, Morsi explained that low representation of women in Egyptian Parliament was cause by the candidate list election system, pointing out that the party is to increase participation of women in proportion to their numbers and their important, positive roles in society.

On the FJP’s vision with respect to the Copts in Egypt, Dr. Morsi said that the status of Christians became much better after the January 25 revolution and the fall of the corrupt former regime which used to spark sectarian crises in peacefully co-existing communities. Moreover, he stressing that the FJP and the Muslim Brotherhood will always stand for the rights of Coptic Egyptians who must enjoy full rights like the rest of Egyptian citizens, just as they have duties towards their homeland; and will always stand against any attempt to undermine national unity, one of the most important pillars of stability in Egypt.

At the international level, the FJP leader called on Pakistan to play an active role to stop the bloodshed in Syria, and continue to put pressure on the Assad regime to halt the systematic murder of the defenseless people.

For her part, the ambassador of Pakistan congratulated the FJP on the sweeping victory achieved by the party in the parliamentary elections, underscoring the importance of bilateral relations between Egypt and Pakistan. Further, Seema Naqvi expressed confidence that Egypt will succeed in getting through the transition and achieving political and economic stability.